Politics

Lawmakers Urge Temporary Visa Suspension for Ebola-Affected Nations

Mon, 2014-10-20 12:27 — mike kraft

CONGRESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTS: CALLS FOR SUSPENDNG VISAS, AND HEARING ANNOUNCED ON EXPECTED NEW BUDGET REQUEST

HOMELAND SECURITY TODAY Oct. 10 2014
By: Amanda Vicinanzo, Senior Editor

WASHINGTON --Amid calls to issue a travel ban to and from West Africa to help protect Americans from Ebola, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, introduced the proposition that the US should look at the idea of temporarily suspending the thirteen thousand visas that would be coming out of the region.

Rep. McCaul, along with subcommittee chairmen Reps. Peter King (R-NY), Candice Miller (R-Mich), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Susan Brooks (R-Ind) recently urged the Obama administration that “additional steps should be considered to curtail the potential spread of Ebola to the United States.

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Obama warns against Ebola hysteria as cruise ship heads back to Texas. President rejects calls for west Africa travel ban . Cruise ship returns to Texas after passenger isolated

Sat, 2014-10-18 10:43 — mike kraft

THE GUARDIAN Oct. 18, 2014

WASHINGTON- President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Americans not to succumb to hysteria about Ebola, even as he warned that addressing the deadly virus would require citizens, government leaders and the media to all pitch in.

in his weekly address, Obama also pushed back against calls for the US to institute a travel ban. Lawmakers have called it a commonsense step to prevent more people with Ebola from entering the US, but Obama said such a ban would only hamper aid efforts and screening measures.

“Trying to seal off an entire region of the world – if that were even possible – could actually make the situation worse,” the president said.

Growing US concern about Ebola and the three cases diagnosed so far in Dallas prompted Obama on Friday to tap a former top White House adviser to be his point person on Ebola. Striking a careful balance, Obama said there was no “outbreak” or “epidemic” of Ebola in the US, but said even one case was too many.

“This is a serious disease, but we can’t give in to hysteria or fear – because that only makes it harder to get people the accurate information they need,” Obama said. “We have to be guided by the science.”

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Ron Klain, Chief of Staff to 2 Vice Presidents, Is Named Ebola ‘Czar’

Fri, 2014-10-17 11:09 — mike kraft

NEW YORK TIMES

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR and JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVISOCT. 17, 2014

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Friday appointed Ron Klain, a former chief of staff for Vice Presidents Al Gore and Joseph R. Biden Jr., as Ebola “czar” to manage the government’s response to the deadly virus as anxiety grew over its possible spread, according to a White House official.

Ron Klain, a former chief of staff for Vice Presidents Al Gore and Joseph R. Biden Jr., in 2008. Credit Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

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Obama May Name ‘Czar’ to Oversee Ebola Response

Fri, 2014-10-17 10:53 — mike kraft

NEW YORK TIMES WRAPUP OF THE MANY DEVELOPMENTS for Oct. 26, 3024

By JACK HEALY, SABRINA TAVERNISE and ABBY GOODNOUGH

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Koch brothers freak out in response to Rolling Stone expose

Sun, 2014-10-05 18:20 — Maeryn Obley

David Koch.

Image: David Koch.

dailykos.com - September 30th, 2014 - Joan McCarter

Tim Dickinson's fantastic expose of the Koch brothers in the latest issue of Rolling Stone has gotten plenty of attention. For very good reason: it's a well-sourced, deep dive into the very toxic—literally toxic—business that earned the Kochs enough money to buy up an entire political party. That and the wrongful death judgement, six felony and numerous misdemeanor convictions, the tens of millions of dollars in fines, and the trading with Iran are all included in the story, well worth your time.

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Is the Rockefeller family really getting out of oil?

Wed, 2014-09-24 23:52 — Maeryn Obley

Image: Jon Excell

theengineer.co.uk - September 24th, 2014 - Jon Excell

There’s no doubt that the decision by the $860 million Rockefeller Brothers Fund to reinvest its fossil fuel money in clean energy represents a pretty symbolic moment.

John D Rockefeller – who founded Standard Oil in 1870 – is one of the towering figures; some would argue the father, of the international oil industry. So the news that a charitable fund bearing his name is turning its back on the stuff that made the family fortune was always going to raise a few eyebrows.

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John Kerry appoints Nancy Powell as Ebola Coordinator

Wed, 2014-09-24 18:00 — Norea

Nancy Powell By: PTI - 25, Sep 2014 9:12 AM (IST) - newsnation.in

Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry has appointed Nancy Powell, the former US Ambassador to India, as Ebola Coordinator at the State Department.

In this new role, announced yesterday, Powell will lead the State Department's outreach to international partners, including foreign governments, to ensure a speedy and truly global response to this crisis.

Obama had last week declared the Ebola outbreak as a "global threat" which demands "a truly global response."

http://m.newsnation.in/article/55710-john-kerry-appoints-nancy-powell-ebola-coordinator.html

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Citing security threat, Obama expands U.S. role fighting Ebola

Tue, 2014-09-16 18:00 — Norea

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, September 16, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing By Jeff Mason and James Harding Giahyue - Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:28pm EDT - reuters.com

President Barack Obama on Tuesday called West Africa's deadly Ebola outbreak a looming threat to global security and announced a major expansion of the U.S. role in trying to halt its spread, including deployment of 3,000 troops to the region.

"The reality is that this epidemic is going to get worse before it gets better," Obama said at the Atlanta headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/16/us-health-ebola-obama-idUSKBN0HB08S20140916

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‘It doesn’t make sense’: Concerns over enlisting DoD in Ebola response

Fri, 2014-09-12 18:00 — Norea

Sept. 10, 2014: Health workers load the body of a woman they suspect died from the Ebola virus onto a truck in Monrovia, Liberia. (AP) By Lucas Tomlinson - Sep 14, 2014 - FoxNews.com

The Obama administration’s decision to enlist the Defense Department in responding to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is raising concerns that the task is pulling the already-stretched military away from other missions, including vital counter-terrorism operations.

According to a senior military official, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said at a recent meeting: "The Department of Defense's number one priority is combating Ebola."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/14/it-doesnt-make-sense-concerns-over-tasking-dod-with-ebola-mission-amid/

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President Barack Obama to discuss US response to the Ebola epidemic

Fri, 2014-09-12 18:00 — Norea

Sep 13 2014 - 6:10am by Charles Omedo - thewestsidestory.net

Come next week, the United States president, Barack Obama will get personal briefing on the Ebola virus situation in West Africa from medical experts working on the epidemic, and he will also use the opportunity to lay out his government’s response plan for combating the deadly epidemic.

Four American doctors and nurses have contracted the fatal disease but were lucky to have survived after being flown back to the US for treatments with experimental drugs and blood serums. The disease has however killed over 2,550 victims according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and over 4,300 currently infected with the epidemic in West Africa.

http://thewestsidestory.net/2014/09/13/16496/president-barack-obama-discuss-us-response-ebola-epidemic/

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